Bill Cosby To Pay $19 Million In 1972 Sexual Assault Case

A California civilian assemblage ruled Monday that Bill Cosby is liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a female successful 1972, awarding her $19.25 million.

After a astir two-week trial successful Santa Monica, jurors recovered nan 88-year-old Cosby responsible for nan intersexual artillery and assault of Donna Motsinger.

Cosby’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, said they are disappointed and scheme to entreaty nan verdict. The ruling comes astir 5 years aft Cosby was released from a Pennsylvania prison, erstwhile nan authorities Supreme Court overturned a criminal condemnation based connected akin allegations.

Motsinger, a erstwhile edifice server successful Sausalito adjacent San Francisco, revenge nan suit successful 2023. She said that Cosby invited her to his stand-up show successful adjacent San Carlos erstwhile some were successful their 30s. She said he gave her vino and 2 pills she believed were aspirin, and that she was going successful and retired of consciousness arsenic 2 men placed her successful a limousine.

“She woke up successful her location pinch each her apparel off, isolated from her underwear connected – nary top, nary bra, and nary pants,” nan suit said. “She knew she had been drugged and raped by Bill Cosby.”

In tribunal filings, Cosby's lawyers based on that nan allegations rested almost wholly connected speculation and assumption, saying Motsinger “freely admits that she has nary thought what happened.”

Jurors awarded Motsinger $17.5 cardinal successful past damages and $1.75 cardinal for early damages, including “mental suffering, nonaccomplishment of enjoyment of life, inconvenience, grief, anxiety, humiliation, and affectional distress.” They deliberated for conscionable complete a day.

They tin grant moreover much successful a punitive damages shape of nan proceedings that starts later Monday.

Cosby did not attest astatine nan trial, whose witnesses included Andrea Constand, nan Temple University sports administrator he was convicted of sexually assaulting successful a Pennsylvania criminal tribunal successful 2018. The state's Supreme Court threw retired nan verdict and Cosby was freed from situation aft serving astir 3 years of a three- to 10-year sentence.

Motsinger first made her allegations anonymously successful a 2005 suit revenge by Constand.

The Associated Press does not typically sanction group who opportunity they person been sexually abused unless they travel guardant publically and consent to beryllium named, arsenic Constand and Motsinger have.

In 2022, a assemblage successful Santa Monica awarded $500,000 to a female who said Cosby sexually assaulted her astatine nan Playboy Mansion erstwhile she was a teen successful 1975.

Motsinger's suit echoed allegations of rape, intersexual battle and intersexual harassment made by astatine slightest 60 women against Cosby, each of which he has denied.

The erstwhile stand-up drama and tv superstar, erstwhile wide known arsenic “America’s Dad” became nan first personage tried and convicted successful nan #MeToo era earlier his condemnation was permanently thrown retired erstwhile appeals tribunal recovered he gave incriminating grounds successful a deposition only aft believing he had immunity from prosecution.